The Ties That Bind
by Mall-Rat123
Summary: After a lengthy absence, with a host of new friends accompanying them, some familiar faces return home to find the whole place abandoned. What has happened to the Mall Rats? and what dangers are lurking the city streets
1. To The Mall We Go

_Cloe shuffled closer and closer towards the clifftop edge. Clutching what appeared to be a baby in her left arm, Cloe used her right hand to gently stroke the babies head before wiping away her tears. How had her life come to this? how had she reached such painful despair that what she was about to do next seemed like the only solution? She ached for the days when other people were in charge of her life. She wished that Amber, Trudy, Salene, Taisan, any of her beloved Mall Rats were around to give her a warm embrace of reassurance but sadly, this wasn't to be. Fate had seen to that. Now she would never see any of her family again. She would never see her precious Ved again. Guilt filled her expression as she gazed down at the little bundle but in Cloe's mind, this was for the best. Both she and her baby would escape a life of fear and despair. They would escape to a much more wonderful place where no one could hurt them anymore. She leaned her head forward and kissed the babies head gently, she then winced and closed her eyes._

_"I love you baby girl."_

_The whole wharf was buzzing. An air of anticipation electrified the atmosphere as onlookers from all different directions flooded onto the scene to witness the sight that was unfolding in the distance. Any thoughts of Cloe or her whereabouts were at the very back of any mind present, who were familiar with the troubled girl. Plane engines could be heard rumbling but a strange clunking sound was intertwined with the noises. That wasn't normal? neither was the smoke that had suddenly started billowing from the engines? nor were the flames that seemed to vaporize from thin air, immersing the air bound vessel? A mixture of shock and terror lined the faced of all on lookers and then... an almighty explosion! Every one ducked, shielded their eyes, ran for cover. Then in grief, a girl started running, screaming, straight towards the water. She was a tall girl with tanned skin and hazel coloured hair with ringlet curls, which bounced manically as she desperately rushed, hoping to be able to reach the plane and ensure one particular suvivor but another girl, also tall with a larger frame rushed at a quicker pace and grabbed the desperate brunette._

_"Rachel, No! There's nothing you can do." the blond girl said, clutching her desperately. _

_"Let me go! I have to save him." Rachel pleaded but to no avail, the other girl had Rachel firmly in her grasp as the onlookers clasped their hands over their mouths in a symbol of both horror and sympathy. Rachel resisted the hold her associate had and looked out at the water, the wreckage sinking was blinkered by tears streaming down the poor girls face._

_**A few months earlier...**_

Suspicion gripped hold as they moved at a lengthy pace. The city was unsettling. Deadly silence filled the streets and carnage was every where. The entire place was like a ghost town, reminisent of the old fashioned zombie apocolypse films, almost as if some huge terror had come along and scoured, clamping all the inhabitants in its devouring jaws as it went along. The hooded male looked at his female companion with a hint of uncertainty on his face, she was heavily pregnant and he was worried that they would not make it to their destination before whatever purged the city came for the pair of them as well. The male likened his surroundings to something reminisent of one of the great Lord Ram's reality space simulations. Designed as a battle field for many of his test subjects to fight it out for victory or to ensure their survival. Any second now, the male half expected a bunch of kids to come running in to view, armed with stun guns, base ball bats or whatever else they could lay their hands on for protection but then he blinked. This was not a reality space simulation, this was alarmingly very real. The pregnant female winced.

"Are you okay? is it the baby." the male said, bringing the pair to a slow halt.

"It's just a twinge, stop fussing." the girl said sternly.

"Let's just keep moving, okay?"

The male nodded and the pair continued to move through the eerie city streets. He had felt worried ever since they had embarked upon their journey, before they had even descended upon the city. He wanted to make the trip, just as much as the female did, in the hopes of finding what they were looking for when they reached their desired location but he couldn't help being concered, like any father to be, he was bound to worry and the world they lived in following the virus wasn't an ideal place to raise a baby but they had to venture on in the hopes of returning to what the female considered home and claiming back their family. Then the baby could have a more secure start in life. A whistle sounded in the distance and a boy, wearing spectacles with dishevelled hair came running in to view.

"What is it Robbie? are we under attack?" the male said pulling down his hood.

"We've made it... we've found the Mall." Robbie said breathlessly before turning on his heel and racing back in the direction he came. The female looked at her male companion with an eager expression and he smiled, accomplished.

"Did you hear that Cloe? we're taking you home." his words rung like bliss in her eyes and she leaned towards him and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you so much Ved."

About fifteen minutes later, Cloe sat on the edge of a car park bench. She was irritable and nervous. Travelling for so long to make it back home only to be forced to wait whilst Ved and the others checked the place out.

"What's taking so long?" she snapped, almost child like. As though she was a kid, waiting anxiously for a birthday cake or a heap of presents from Santa Claus to be delivered. Sure, she was entitled to be enthusiastic after spending so long away from home but others in her situation would be slightly more restrained, nervous about what was to come.

"Relax Cloe, you've waited this long to get back here. What's a few more minutes?"

Cloe rolled her eyes and began to pat her hands on her thighs. The girl who posed the question was named Kit, she was about medium height, her face was covered in black soot as were her raggedy clothing. She had ginger hair which also could have done with a good wash considering the soot that she had aqcuired through numerous nights of sleeping rough. Not originally a city goer, Kit had previously lived in a town on the other side of the mountains until that fateful day when the Techno convoy drove through en route to the city which they seeked to conquer, taking prisoner anybody in the town. As for those who opposed the raid, well Kit always dreaded to think. Her elder brother, Scott, has been part of the group of men who had insisted on defending the townsfolk and the last Kit saw of him was when a monster in a metal mask had fired a wrist bound, spaced aged lazer at him. She never liked to think that he had been murdered and instead preferred to believe that he had been taken prisoner and forced into hard labour like the rest of them. Of course, despite being ripped from her home and losing her big brother, Kit had been one of the lucky ones as she had three younger siblings. Robbie and the twins, Henry and Matilda. Luck wasn't originally on her side as the four of them had been seperated, bundled in to different trucks and driven off to seperate destinations but some time down the line, fate decided to reunite the siblings and they came face to face once more at one of the Techno labour camps.

_"You musn't let on that we're related or they'll split us up again." _

That was the order that Kit had given to her siblings and one that they had desperately stuck too. If one of her brothers or her sister got abuse from the guards then she would step up as a passer by and convince the guards to leave off but if her brothers or sister felt the burning sting of a back handed slap then Kit would rise to her anger and find herself spending a few days in solitary confinement, subjected to reality space simulations which were the proto type for the Technos' new red versus blue virtual games. It was worth it to get pay back and she always ensured that she played the rebelious prisoner, never the sister. Any affection shared was when the guards weren't looking. Eventually, the head guard, or the warden as he was known decided to send some prisoners to another location. Kit was part of the selection and as luck would have it, so were Robbie, Henry and Matilda. The three of them did not want to lose their sister so in a vain attempt, they acted up and attacked a guard leading to the warden to pass them on as well

_"They can be somebody elses' problem." _

Was his verdict and all four siblings silently mouthed cheers of relief. The Warden had promised all prisoners up for transportation that they would be heading to another camp, where the work load was less and they could live alot healthier. A farm perhaps? one weird looking girl had suggested but Kit sensed that the Warden was playing games and that they were probably heading somewhere alot worse. Her prediction proved correct as they were transported to a high security compound, filled with virtual reality labs, where all prisoners were subjected to horrifying tests and simulations. The family could spend weeks on end seperated, hooked up to a computer during the day and locked in a damp lone cell at night. Occassionally they were allowed out in to the yard to stretch their legs then they wouldn't burn out and dumped out with the trash but these moments were fleeting and Kit was sure to treasure them. One day, during one of their rare moments spent together, the siblings had heard whisperings from the guards. There was a sense of unrest within the compound, it was during this moment that they were approached by a fellow prisoner, he looked more like a zombie but they were friendly towards him none the less and that was how they came to meet Ved.

"It's okay, the coast is clear." a voice called out, bringing Kit from her day dream. Before Kit could get to her feet, Cloe was already racing off before turning back briefly.

"What are you waiting for?"

Time passed quickly, as it usually did in the recent months especially for Cloe since the day of giving birth loomed closer but she did not mind. Now safely inside the Mall, she gazed fondly at a wall containing photographs of her ever growing Mall Rat family. She stroked a picture of Salene, kneeling down next to Mouse, Cloe liked Mouse. Cloe continued to gaze as faces flashed vividly back in to her mind. There were faces of some new people that Cloe didn't recognize and she assumed that they had been taken in by the tribe following her disappearance but that was the Mall Rat way. Her eyes switched to a picture of Amber with Jay's arm lovingly wrapped around her before resting her gaze on a picture of Jack, Ellie and two girls. One older with an elaborate hairstyle and another one who was younger, wearing a cap. Cloe smiled.

"Jack and Ellie made it home."

"Are you talking to yourself again." Ved's voice rang through Cloe's ears.

"Of course not." she smiled.

"You should get some rest, we've been travelling for a while." Ved spoke in a soft tone.

"I rested outside in the cold whilst you and the others searched the place." Cloe said in a disapproving voice.

"We had to make sure the place was safe." he answered.

"and is it?"

"Is it what?"

"Is it safe?" Cloe sighed.

"Todd and Rachel are still looking but the main section is secure." he said in a authorative voice.

"I can't believe the others aren't here. Something pretty big must have gone down for the Mall Rats to just up and leave." Cloe said anxiously.

"You saw the state of the city, no ones here." Ved answered, if he was trying to be reassuring then he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it.

"Do you think they were taken?" Cloe worried.

"No, there's signs that they left in a hurry but no sign of a struggle. Some of the drawers in the rooms are empty as well, I'm assuming they picked up and scarpered. Plus all the food is gone, Tasha went to look before to make a meal for us. We still have some of our own rations left so she is going to make that instead. Me, Todd and Robbie are going to head out tomorrow too..."

"Stop Ved, I dont care about some poxy food. I want to know where my friends are." Cloe cut her boyfriend off suddenly.

"If you'd let me finish, I was going to say that we're going to head out to find food and to see if any body is hanging around. There must be someone who can divulge what has happened and they may know where the others are as well, right?" Ved smiled, pulling his girl in to a hug.

"I hope so."


	2. A 'warm' speech of welcome

Cloe scanned the Mall intently, gripping on to the bannister on the stair well to support her. Numerous thoughts were running through her mind, silly thoughts like why the cafe had been moved from the top of the stairs to the ground floor? Which one of the new girls she saw in the photograph had moved in to her room and helped themselves to her stuff? then there was other thoughts like why Amber was in a picture with Jay? why did they seem so loved up? The most important thought was where her tribe had gone too, she never dreamed that they would ever leave the Mall, at least not by choice but as the evidence suggested, the whole lot of them seemed to just up and leave of their own accord. Her attention suddenly switched to the small group of people that were now appearing in front of her and taking seats on the edge of the fountain, she smiled with warmth at a tall kid with faded aqua colored hair, who she knew as Todd, when he waved at her. Within seconds, Ved appeared and took his position by her side. She stared at him, his clothes were torn, his face was smudged with dirt and his bleached hair was lined with roots that would make poor old Zandra faint in horror. When she first met him, he was some self-centered kid who had managed to make it big with a bunch of power hungry computer geeks who had come crashing in to her homeland. Eventually, but not without its complications, Cloe had witnessed him melt and the pair fell in love but now Ved was worn, he looked tired in the eyes. Yes, the numerous experiments he had been subjected too had probably taken their toll but he had been forced too grow up alot since his abduction. A fact which was apparent in how he had taken responsibility for all these new companions sitting in the Mall in front of Cloe, Ved could have easily manipulated them in to helping him and Cloe before ditching them but his past as a Techno weighed heavily on his mind and he probably saw this as some form of pay back for his crimes. Cloe was proud of Ved for that, she didn't care very much for this bunch of new people, she didn't know what they were like either, nor did she want too. It was very rare for Cloe to meet a nice kid and the ones she had met were Mall Rats or had joined their ranks somewhere along the line but this new group, she didn't trust them and there was no 'older' kids around to judge them and keep them in line should they ever turn nasty. Cloe convinced herself that if they were going to be living in 'her' Mall then she would have to whip them in to shape.

"I just wanted to say, thank you all. Sure we would have found the place by ourselves but, you know, me and Ved are grateful anyway." Cloe spoke.

"Erm... Cloe..." Ved whispered in to her ear, the expressions of his new friends suggested that they were not too thrilled at Cloe's glowing speech of appreciation.

"Also, feel free to sleep in any of the rooms but, just so you know, you will have to get out of them when my friends get back. This is their home after all." Cloe spoke in a forced sweet tone. The girl named Kit eyed her with intent, her brother Robbie leaned in to whisper.

"Count to ten, don't let her get to you sis." He spoke gently, before pushing his spectacles back up his nose and leaning away. Months of torment at the Techno hands was enough to make sure that Kit didn't allow herself to get snarled at by a little girl like Cloe, regardless of her pregnant condition.

"Since you did all come this way, then you may as well become Mall Rats. The others won't mind, plus you did help and they're big on that." Cloe continued to direct her voice at whom she viewed as her new followers.

"What if we don't wanna be Mall Rats? what if we have tribes of our own that we belong too?" a tall brunette girl stood up, she was tanned and had ringlet curls that spilled down her back.

"Then the exit is that way." Cloe pointed at the grille, the only thing that kept the outside dangers from flooding in and killing them all whilst they slept.

"So your chucking me out?" the girl snorted.

"No one is chucking you out Rachel, every one needs to calm down." Ved shouted out.

"I'm calm." a male kid shouted out, his name was Henry and he had a cheeky look about him, his elder sister Kit smiled and rubbed his back reassuringly.

"No one is kicking you out, Rachel. I am merely just letting you know your options." Cloe spoke, her forced sweet tone was sounding sicklier by the second.

"Options? what gives you the right to give us options?" Rachel's tone suggested anger as she vented at Cloe.

"Well naturally since this is my home, until my friends get back, I will be your leader." Cloe smiled, if she wasn't pregnant, that smile would have earnt her a punch for her efforts. Rachel shook her head, she caught a glance off Kit. No words were shared but they both agreed through disbelieving looks that Cloe was an idiot and that if she carried on her dastardly dictator act then she would not like the outcome. The tall brunette then climbed to her feet.

"Fine then, leader. If that's everything, I'd like to go and find a room." Rachel spoke. Now Rachel was a fiery and independent character, she knew that boundaries had to be set but she had seen off enough domineering types in her time with a lot more danger and backstory behind them than some silly chick who had managed to get herself pregnant. Rachel didn't really know Ved but it was her respect for him and everything he had done to help her and the others that stopped her from scalping Cloe. Although once upon a time, whether she had respect for someone or not, if she had the gut feeling to give someone a punch then god forbid anybody who tried to stop her.

"You can find a room later, I want you to keep an eye on the sewers, make sure nobody comes in." was Cloe's answer.

"But the entire city is a ghost town." Rachel said aghast.

"No one is coming in here."

"Can't be too sure." Cloe responded.

Rachel just smiled at Cloe and instead of heading in the direction of the sewer, she made a beeline for the stairs, brushing past Cloe as she did. Ved eyed Rachel until she disappeared out of sight before turning to the others.

"Right... Tasha is going to make something to eat so we'll speak again shortly, she'll call us when she's ready but until then... go find a room or... something." he said stumbling over his words.

"Cloe, a word!" Ved spoke, grabbing her by the arm and gently leading her in to one of the stores. The others watched uncomfortably for a few seconds before scrambling to their feet and heading off to find their new habitats. Kit was the last to leave her seat on the fountain edge along with another girl, the girl smiled at her weakly and Kit returned the smile, albeit a feigned one.

"Guess I better go find somewhere to rest my head before the others get all the best spots." Kit said with a tone of awkwardness.

"Wait." The girl spoke suddenly.

"I don't want to sleep on my own in this place, do you mind if I find a room next to you." Kit eyed the girl inquisitively, she barely knew her, only through the escape from the Techno lab had they come to be acquainted and Kit considered this an odd request. All the time she had endured, along with her family, as prisoner had probably made her unwilling to trust but with good reason. Kit only trusted Robbie and the twins, she barely trusted Ved and she could not stand the sight of Cloe. She wasn't prepared to start trusting this girl and the others who had accompanied them, not just yet.

"I think my brothers and sister are gonna be taking the rooms next to me, sorry." Kit's attempt at an apology was unconvincing but she did not want to be blunt and provoke the girl in to some un telling rage.

"Oh, I see." The girl replied sadly, watching as Kit shot her another awkward smile before heading off after her siblings. The girls name was Brodie, she was another girl of medium height and she had short, curly brown hair. She, like all the others, was covered in mud and dirt. Her face was adorned with fear and sadness, this new place intimidated her. She was all too familiar with the Mall and its former residents. Never having met the Mall Rats personally, Brodie only knew of them and they're efforts to save the city, many a time from the threats of Zoot and his bad boy Loco tribe, Top Hat and his circus, that no one dared to challenge through fear of falling victim to Top Hat's infamous arson attacks and the efforts to take down the Chosen spoke for itself. She had always been a lonely individual, despite her attempts to make friends and a tribe of her own. However, her trusting nature was also combined with a trickster nature as she was quite helpful to other peoples belongings should she ever fall hungry. When the Chosen came and promised the glory of Zoot, Brodie was one of the first to join their regime. She didn't believe in the muck that the Guardian and his followers were sprouting about a regular kid, just like the rest of them, had risen from the dead to become a deity but she trusted that she would get three square meals a day and finally belong. When the Techno forces began to invade the city, Brodie felt that they would be a lot like the Chosen and that she would once again feel a part of something but of course the Techno forces and their masters were a lot more brutal. No sooner had she entered the street to greet her new 'friends' the frightened young longer had found herself set upon by one of the operatives and dragged to one of their trucks which was quickly filling with other captives, Brodie never struggled, she simply surrendered and covered her ears whilst the other prisoners in her truck were screaming in rage or crying out for their loved ones. Whilst being held prisoner by the Techno's, Brodie followed every task that was demanded of her. The other prisoners shunned her when she finished her workload ahead of them and the guards in her camp ridiculed her for trying to suck up to them so Brodie found solace in the reality space simulations. She was disgusted by the experiments but the games that she had to play out gave her some form of escape. Never the clever one at school, Brodie was terrible with technology but as a prisoner, she became quite the expert and was soon transported from her camp to one of the Techno experimental labs. Time flew by and despite her talent, she found herself turning in to a zombie, much like the rest of the prisoners but she never complained nor did she act up. Then on one fateful night, whilst being led back to her cell following an intense experiment in reality space, the whole compound suddenly went in to red alert and the guard escorting her back was set upon by a small group of prisoners. Amongst these prisoners were Ved, Kit, Robbie, Matilda, Henry and the tough girl named Rachel. With no intention of hanging around for a sniper squad to blast them in to oblivion, Ved grabbed Brodie and the entire group headed down the corridor, headed for freedom.

"_Thank you." _

Brodie suddenly came back to her senses, she looked around the Mall, all alone whilst sat on the edge of the water fountain. She sighed, miserable and lonely as ever.

Cloe tutted and stomped as she stormed in to her old bed room, followed by Ved. She looked around, the room was completely different and it had been given an extreme girlish makeover. Cloe considered herself girlish but the person who had taken her spot seemed to have gone in to overdrive which was apparent with the colorful outfits hung up everywhere and all the little trinkets and jewelry littering the desk. She then caught sight of a photograph, it was one of the girls in the picture she had seen before. This new girl Cloe viewed was smiling on the photograph, acting like she was a supermodel and Cloe saw a love heart drawn on to the picture with the name, Gel, written inside.

"_What kind of name is Gel." _

Cloe scoffed at the photograph before moving over to the bed and sitting down, she then caught Ved's eye and he didn't look too impressed.

"Can you believe that chick, Rachel or whatever her name is!" Cloe said to her unimpressed lover.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at, Cloe?" he suddenly snapped.

"Excuse me? Don't you dare snap at me, she's the one in the wrong." Cloe spoke, like a child who was being scorned by a parent.

"You can't go laying down the law like that. Oh and what's this crap about being their leader?" Ved questioned angrily.

"This is my home! I am the leader." Cloe's tone was vile, how dare Ved speak to her in such a way.

"You know just as much as the rest of them how much like hell our lives have been lately, we've seen out the roughest days of our lives at the hands of some monsters. Do you really think they have the patience to be ordered around by some pregnant woman after dealing with a lot worse back at the Techno labs?" he questioned, he loved Cloe dearly but he didn't like her selfish qualities. He had been forced to grow up in captivity, he had only hoped that Cloe would have too, especially now she had a baby on the way.

"No arguments, Ved. We're the leaders now and them lot out there will just have to get used too it." Cloe bit back.

"Oh so we're the leaders now, how long is that going to last? What happens if I rub you up the wrong way and you start bossing me around like you did too Rachel." Ved's anger was getting the better of him.

"We're in this together, of course we're both the leaders. I don't even know why you're bothering with them anyway. You freed them, what else can you do? What if they turn out to be rotten." Cloe was being spiteful, she had no reason not to trust them but she did so anyway.

"They're alright really, you just need time to adjust. You already said they could be Mall Rats so why the fuss. Salene and Pride would be a lot kinder to them." Ved spoke.

"Well Salene and Pride aren't here! So I'll have to make my own judgment." She folded her arms, she was being defiant, Ved was clearly in the right but she didn't want to allow him his victory.

"They're a decent bunch, if it wasn't for them then I wouldn't have been able to save you. Oh and leave off Rachel, she's done nothing to warrant you being rude to her." Ved snapped once more, he then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Cloe let out a sound of anger before grabbing a pillow and throwing it at the photograph of Gel smiling back at her.

In the café, situated near the stair well. Robbie stared at the girl slaving over the gas cooker with an adoring gaze, almost falling off the chair he was sat on whilst he did. She was a blonde girl with a slender frame, tanned skin presumably acquired through days slaving away in the labor camps. Her hair was piled up in to a messy bun on top of her head and her tattered clothing enveloped her slender frame in a complimentary manner. Her name was Tasha, she was a friendly enough girl but she had her awkward moments. She didn't look as worn as the other members of the makeshift clan but Robbie assumed that she had spent less time in the labs, although it was evident then some experiments had taken their toll, memory altering experiments perhaps? She had been quite open about the fact that she couldn't remember where she came from and her social skills left a lot to be desired with the comments she came out with but what she lacked in that department, she made up for with her cookery skills and how she could scout without getting noticed. Maybe, she was part of one of the forest tribes that Robbie had heard so much about? His older brother, Scott, had described the forest tribes as savages, barbarians but that couldn't be right? Tasha seemed so gentle in comparison to the tales he had heard. If anything, based on personal experience, the city and town based tribes were the savages with the lengths they would go to in order to claim dominion.

"Are you okay?"

Robbie snapped back in to focus, Tasha was staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"You were just staring in to thin air." She added, a polite tone left her lips.

"Oh, me? Yeah, yeah. I'm absolutely fine, just taking in the new atmosphere?" Robbie spoke, he sounded embarrassed.

"Atmosphere?" Tasha added, the confusion on her face didn't seem to subside.

"Yeah, the atmosphere. It's all exciting isn't it? I've certainly never lived in a shopping center before, I don't know about you?" Robbie smiled, he felt like an idiot but anything was necessary to avoid letting on that he found her extremely attractive.

"I thought it was a Mall?" Tasha asked, turning away to stir the contents of the pot she had been working on.

"Mall, shopping center, same difference." He let out a forced laugh, he was about to say something else but realised that anything else that left his lips would only fuel any more embarrassment of which he sought to avoid. He clambered to his feet and left the café quietly, looking back to see if Tasha had noticed that he was leaving but she never and with that, he had gone.

(Any thoughts will be warmly welcomed IE feedback)


	3. Something is lurking

Todd stared in the mirror, his gaze refusing to budge. The disdain upon his face suggested that his appearance was a definite priority. His faded aqua colored hair proved to be his biggest cause of concern. It felt nice, after being cooped up for so long with not so much as a mirror, to check if his existence was still real or just another one of the tricks of the Techno lords and masters. Even if it was just for a brief moment, he would relish the opportunity to clean up his image and what better place to do that than in a shopping Mall.

"_Stop them, somebody stop them!"_

He winced, thoughts came rushing back in to his head. Most of the time, Todd was capable of locking out these thoughts of memories he once had but every now and again, in the comfort of his own company, these memories would come flooding back.

"_Help me please, they're taking my sister!" _

Todd had particular enthusiasm to block out this memory, he begrudged it. Although he had done the right thing, he hated the outcome. He had been on the market during the day that memory had taken place, hoping to trade some batteries for a fresh loaf of bread, delivered by the farming tribes. A plane had previously been spotted flying over the city and whilst everyone else had raced off to see where it had landed, Todd had taken the opportunity to head out to make a bargain. The traders would still be trading and with all their customers off on the 'adult' hunt, they would be forced to give in to Todd's haggling efforts in order to ensure that they didn't make much losses. Unfortunately, the people on the plane also had friends, in a convoy of trucks. Three of these trucks suddenly drove right through the center of the market, crashing in to stalls. An onslaught of what appeared to be metal men burst through the back exits of the trucks and made a beeline for all the city kids present at the market and Todd made a quick dash behind a burnt out van, he had no intention to be taken by these cyber people but that's when he heard the screams. One of the traders, a girl, was shouting out. Her sister was being dragged away in to one of the trucks and she was helpless to stop it, so despite his better judgment, Todd had decided to launch a rescue attempt.

"_Stupid kid."_

Todd once again found the effort to block out the memories and quickly set about finding some hair dye to redo his barnet, a minor distraction from what he wanted to forget forever.

In another part of the mall, after a few hours had passed, Ved was content with the knowledge that the others was sleeping safe and sound. After their efforts in trekking through the city and searching for the mall, they deserved a good rest. Unfortunately, he couldn't sleep himself and with Cloe fidgeting in her sleep whilst clutching on to him, Ved let out a sigh.

"_What the hell went down?"_

Ved couldn't shake the thought out of his head, Cloe's insistence that the Mall Rats wouldn't just up and leave without good reason rung in his mind. Before he got shipped out, the small group of so called freedom fighters had proved to be an irritable bunch. Dee was always challenging the Techno street troops under her authority as sheriff Lex's deputy, Pride was always getting in the way with his hatred of technology and even saint Salene was always trying to meddle in her role as the elected city representative. As for Ebony, she was not to be trusted and would do anything to climb to the top, part of the reason why she sold out her people and married Ram. Which begged the question, why would even someone like Ebony leave? She was always scheming to get the city under her control, why suddenly disappear with the rest of the rats. Then there was his older brother Jay, whom before Ved was taken away had been dancing with death by playing around with Ebony, not to mention his trick of covering up for the Mall Rats when they helped spring Amber from one of the reality space labs. Had Jay fled with the others? Or had he met a nastier fate at the hands of Ram's hit men? The whole thing lacked sense in every aspect, the Mall Rats wouldn't just leave but neither would the Techno's, not after the efforts they went too securing the city as their own in the first place. Ved hopes for Cloe's sake that her friends were safe and he hoped for his own sake that his big brother Jay wasn't lying in an unmarked grave somewhere.

"_Jay can't help you now."_

Came the taunts of the guards, Ved had been asking too many questions during his own final days in the city which lead to his arrest. The cocky young Techno officer was grabbed whilst searching through Ram's private computer files and found himself locked up in one of the former hotel suites on the far end of the facility where no one could hear him, although it hadn't been Ram who gave the order for his arrest. Someone else had been responsible but Ved wasn't too sure who, Java perhaps? Or maybe it was the creepy new kid, Mega? He has previously kept himself to himself but Ved noticed that he was becoming Ram's favorite at a rapid pace. It didn't matter that much, if Ved couldn't get in touch with Jay then his fate was sealed and it certainly was. Following a few hours in solitary confinement, Ved sound found himself being bundled in to the back of a truck in the dead of night.

"_Have fun on the other side."_

Ved was completely aware of what that phrase meant, he hadn't condoned the more sinister aspect of the research which Ram had ordered his underlings to carry out but Ved had chosen to block it out, plus Ram wanted the experiments carried out whether his commanding officers agreed to it or not so Ved chose to turn a blind eye. It had to be tested on some people, it was much preferred for virts to be the guinea pigs rather than the Techno staff. Ved chose to be the cocky rising technology star and help golden boy Jay carry out city domination and policing the headstrong tribes whilst assisting Ram in designing elaborate landscapes and fantasy scenarios that he and his peers could escape too after a long day keeping the virts in line. But, in captivity, the tables had swiftly turned and the experiments that Ved had chosen to ignore and even cover up at times, were about to be inflicted upon him, if not more so because of his previous 'elite' status. The sessions were intense and rigorous and completely cruel, Ved's new captors took great delight informing him that he and the other prisoners in the compound would be the trial subjects for the new 'Paradise' prototype, which the Techno's were aiming to endorse within the city to keep the peace. It would be like a drug that the pathetic virts would become obsessed with and continuously return for more, playing right in to Ram's hands. Initially, Ved resisted the paradise program and refused to allow it to make him question what was reality and what was fantasy but eventually, the continuous images of Cloe, Jay, his family and all his treasured memories succeeded in tricking him or so he led the guards to believe. Paradise did take some effect but Ved retained his mind and just allowed the guards to think that he had surrendered, allowing enough time to pass for them to think he was no longer a threat. On one particular day, Ved was allowed a fleeting moment outside in the fresh air, it was on this particular day that he noticed a lone girl cowering away in the corner. Having not initially seen her face, a sense of guilt washed over him as he felt that he had played some part in this girl and all the other prisoners capture, so with that he approached her. Tapping her gently on the shoulder and when she turned around, Ved had the shock of his life when he saw his precious Cloe staring back at him. It seemed unreal, like a terrible dream. The guards were toying with him or that's how it felt, either that or they were completely useless and hadn't done their background research about Ved since he had previously been a part of the Techno high command. Surely they would have known that this frail young girl was his girlfriend? Well he wasn't about to approach a guard and ask, he didn't want to risk her being taken away from him once again and then he started plotting. He had planned to wait a lot longer before he put his escape in to motion but looking at Cloe, he knew that he needed to get her out as soon as possible. After a sneaky kiss and a warm and long embrace, Ved instructed Cloe to act like they did not know each other. For the time being, it was not the best idea. Then Ved sloped off, returning to the terrible experiments and lonely nights in his cell, biding his time.

"_We're going home Cloe, we're going home__.__"_

Cloe's elbow suddenly jabbed in to Ved's ribs causing him to jolt, he maneuvered lightly to regain comfort before running his hands through her hair very gently. He was so pleased that he had managed to bring her home, it had taken them what seemed like a lifetime but it had been worth the effort. He only wished that she would stop being so vile towards their new companions. Sure, she had every right to be distrustful but they were a decent enough bunch. He barely knew them but they all appeared to be nice and if luck played a part then hopefully they would stick around as Ved thought they had the potential to form a good, strong group. Perhaps they had only been helpful in assisting Ved and Cloe escape the Techno's clutches and return to the city to suit their own agendas but he doubted it, they had nothing to gain. Including Ved and Cloe, there were ten of them altogether. The fiery Rachel, quiet and strong Todd, the beautiful girl named Tasha along with the small family unit consisting of Kit, Robbie, Henry and Matilda and then there was the loner named Brodie, who had a look in her eyes to show that she yearned to fit in, yet her composure suggested that she was a shy and timid girl who just wanted to be left alone. They would be just fine, as long as Cloe didn't drive them away but Ved would convince her that they were alright, he just hoped that they wouldn't conjure up any nasty surprises to prove him wrong.

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms situated in the upper section of the mall, the family unit of Kit, Robbie and the twins were about to settle down for the night. They had taken up residence in the furniture store which the original Mall Rats has chosen when they first found home there in what seemed like a lifetime before.

"These beds are so comfy." Matilda squeeled in delight, whilst wrapping one of the luxurious king size duvets around her, her head was the only thing visible as the duvet completely covered her, her long locks of golden hair spilled out as she did. Matilda felt like she had died and gone to heaven, well not quite but it certainly beat the previous residence she had been confined too.

"Well don't get too comfy, you heard Queen Cloe, when her friends get back then we're out and they're in." Kit said, looking up from a magazine she had found for a bit of bed time reading.

"She's not the boss of us." Henry spoke up, he had golden blonde hair also, similar to his twins hair.

"You go and tell her that." Robbie piped up, laughing as he spoke.

"She needs to watch her step, that's all I'm saying." Kit said in a certain tone.

"You wouldn't hit a pregnant chick would you sis?" Robbie glanced at his sister to see her response.

"I can wait till she's had the brat." Kit said, refusing to look her brother in the eye.

"Kit." Robbie said in a warning tone.

"We can't go making ourselves unpopular, not if we want to stay." Kit suddenly shot a darting look at Robbie.

"Who said anything about staying?" she asked, as far as she was concerned, they were only here for the night.

"Well, it's a good a place as any to lay down roots." Robbie shrugged.

"But… it's a shopping center. I don't want to live in a shopping center." She spoke, as though the thoughts of staying in her current surroundings on a permanent basis disgusted her.

"It's a mall actually." Came Robbie's response.

"They're the same thing idiot." Matilda scoffed.

"Regardless of whether it's a shopping center, a mall or Noah's flaming ark, we're not staying are we? I mean, I thought that we would make tracks." Kit said, glancing around at her three siblings.

"Make tracks to where? You can't be thinking about going back to the old town?" Robbie scoffed in amazement.

"Well, yeah…"

"But there's nothing there for us Kit, the whole place got taken down by the Techno's in case you had forgotten." Robbie was a little bit taken aback.

"There might be people there, carrying on, waiting for the likes of us to return." She didn't understand her brothers reluctance to return to the place they called him but what Robbie was about to say soon made her realise.

"But Scott won't be there."

Then there it was, the arrow through her heart as she remembered her elder brother being shot down by the Techno soldier with the metal face. No more words were shared after that, just a sad silence as the four siblings looked at each other. Robbie, Henry and Matilda knew exactly what Kit was thinking and she looked at them with sad eyes, she could have sworn she saw tears forming in Robbie's eyes but he was quick to lay down on his bed and turn away. Henry was next to hide, promptly pulling a pillow over his face. Only Matilda was honest with her older sister and allowed the tears to spill, silent but freely. Kit extended her arms and Matilda rushed over, settling in to her comforting embrace. A little while later, Kit covered Matilda up on the bed that she had chosen and gave her a peck on the forehead before moving over to Matilda's bed and pulling the cover over her, resting down for the night.

"_There's people in here."_

A voice crackled in to a radio communicator.

"_I'd say about nine… nine or ten possibly, maybe more." _

Boots squeaked very lightly, as the owner moved at a silent pace through the mall, creeping up the main stair well.

"_I don't think it's them, if it was then they'd know I'm here by now."_

The lone intruder turned gently on the heel, scanning the surroundings intently. His or her face was masked, a gas mask to be more precise, shrouded in mystery.

"_Over and out."_

The voice crackled once more, it was definitely a male voice, although this particular male was unaware that in the furniture store up ahead, Matilda had been woken by the crackling of the radio frequency from his communicator and with her eyes wide open, she slowly began to sit up, pulling the cover off her gently as she did so. Creeping slowly in the direction of the furniture store, the male wasn't aware that Matilda was creeping slowly to the exit of the furniture and within a matter of seconds, the poor girls eyes rested on the sinister gas mask and she let out an almighty scream. The intruder paused, almost paralyzed for a brief moment before regaining his senses and making a sharp turn, running for the exit whilst Matilda backed in to the furniture store as Robbie, Kit and Henry suddenly dived out of their beds to see what was happening to their little sister.

"What is it Matilda?" Kit asked with genuine concern.

"There… there…" Matilda gasped for breath between her words.

"She probably had a bad dream." Henry said as Ved suddenly raced in to the room, followed in quick succession by Rachel, Tasha and Cloe, who was hobbling in whilst clutching her stomach.

"What the hell's going on here!" Rachel asked in an alarmed tone.

"I saw a man… he… he was wearing one of those things on his face… a world war masky thing." She managed to say between sobs in reply to the question Rachel had posed her.

"I thought no one was coming in here!" Rachel heard Cloe chip in with a tone of scorn but she along with the rest of the group chose to ignore her.

"There's no man here sweetie." Kit said, rubbing her sisters arm gently.

"There is, I saw him." Matilda sobbed.

"Oh yeah? If he was here, then where is he now?" Henry scoffed.

"Henry don't be so spiteful, you can see she's upset." Robbie's words scolded the younger sibling, just as Todd came racing in to the store, he was wearing some silver tin foil on his head.

"What's that you have on your head?" Tasha suddenly spoke up.

"Oh it doesn't matter, I heard screaming. What's going on?" Todd spoke, it was apparent to all that he dyed his hair since it was aqua blue when they met him but somehow he still wanted to change the subject to avoid embarrassment, as if convinced that he had fooled the others in to thinking his natural color was blue.

"Matilda had a nightmare." Henry chipped in.

"I did not." Matilda said, shooting her brother a burning look. Then, another scream came ringing in to ears of all who were present and it seemed to be coming from downstairs.

"Brodie!" Ved called out and he went racing off, followed by Rachel and Todd. Tasha was about to follow but Robbie stopped her.

"Stay here with my sisters where it's safe." He said, almost gallantly before he too raced off to see where the source of the screaming was. Tasha merely shrugged in agreement and set herself down next to Kit who continued to comfort Matilda. Cloe just looked at them, shifting around on her feet awkwardly but it didn't seem like anybody was in a rush to offer her a seat so she relented and sat down on the same bed as Henry.

"I'll look after you." Henry said to Cloe with a weak smile on his face, he then stood up and reached for a bed side lamp to defend her and all the other girls in the room. Whilst down on the sewers, Brodie lay on the ground, trembling and sobbing as Ved, Rachel, Todd and Robbie came racing down the flight of stairs. They all suddenly stopped whilst Ved raced to Brodie's side and helped her to her feet.

"He… he just came up from behind… I…" Brodie wailed, tears streamed down her face as she did so.

"Come on." Ved said in a concerned tone.

"Let's get you upstairs." He finished the sentence before passing responsibility of aiding the horror stricken young girl to Rachel who put a comforting arm around her as she walked up the stairs.

"What were you doing in the sewers?" was Cloe's question, about five minutes later when everyone was gathered in the café. No comments of concern or what she had seen that had spooked her or anything like that, Cloe found it odd that Brodie was down in the sewers on her own at this hour of night.

"Never mind that." Ved said gently.

"What happened down there? What did you see?"

"There was a man, I didn't see him. He just came out of nowhere, I heard a scream and then not long after he came racing down. At least, I think it was a he, I couldn't tell because the person was wearing a gas mask." Brodie gulped, she knew herself that it was odd of her to be down in the sewers but she was merely taking a tour, she hadn't expected someone to be down there with her. It was almost like a horror movie.

"See, I told you I wasn't having a nightmare." Matilda spoke to Henry, they were both sat either side of Brodie, huddled together with her as though it would provide some sort of comfort.

"Do you think it could have been a Mall Rat?" Now it was Todd's turn to ask a question.

"No way, they wouldn't come in and creep us all out before running off. This is their home, they don't need to sneak around" Cloe snapped.

"Chill, I was only asking." Todd said, taken aback by Cloe's abruptness.

"Maybe it's a monster?" Tasha casually threw in to the discussion.

"Don't be stupid." Kit scoffed.

"Hey, don't call her stupid. It's not nice." Robbie snapped at his sister, before realising. She looked upon him briefly before a knowing look appeared on her face, a slight smile appeared on her expression. Robbie blushed, if that didn't make it obvious that he was fond of Tasha then he didn't know what would.

"Right guys, its late. I know we've all had a fright but go back to bed and try to sleep. Robbie, Todd and myself will keep guard tonight and in the morning we'll discuss all this further." Ved spoke, his authorative tone was blatant.

"But I'm tired." Robbie said in defiance.

"Tough." Kit spoke up before Ved had the chance, she hit him on the arm as she said it.

"Maybe we should head out in to the city tomorrow, see what's about you know? See if we can find out who came in here." Todd suggested.

"Like I said, we'll discuss it further tomorrow, you two follow me." Ved said, summoning Todd and Robbie to follow in his direction. Cloe shot a disgusted look at Rachel before she decided to head back to bed and Rachel clenched her fists, the girl was pushing her bit by bit. Rachel too then climbed to her feet and decided to head back to bed followed by Tasha who was in a room, a couple of stores down from Rachel.

"Why don't you stay in our room tonight, then your not on your own." Matilda said gently, Brodie suddenly looked at her in shock.

"Are you sure?" she asked, genuinely complimented by the blonde girls gesture.

"Of course, she can stay in our room can't she Kit?" Matilda turned to her sister.

"Yeah, fine." Kit said looking at Brodie for a quick moment before letting out a yawn, she soon headed out of the café followed by Henry, Matilda and Brodie who was elated at having made some new friends.


End file.
